World Cup: Costa Rica stuns Italy, advances to knockout stage

Associated Press

Posted:
06/20/2014 07:08:32 PM PDT

Updated:
06/20/2014 10:33:17 PM PDT

Costa Rica has turned the tables on the team's World Cup expectations.

Or at least on everyone else's expectations.

Costa Rica followed up its surprise win over Uruguay with another World Cup stunner on Friday, beating four-time champion Italy 1-0 to secure a spot in the next round and eliminate England in the process.

After entering the tournament as an expected underdog in a group featuring three former world champions, Costa Rica is now on top.

"Maybe there are a lot of people who didn't have faith in us because we were in the 'Group of Death,' said Costa Rica captain Bryan Ruiz, who scored the key goal. "But the other guys are the ones who are dead and we're going to the next round."

Costa Rica leads Group D with six points, while Italy and Uruguay have three each before Tuesday's showdown. England has zero points after losing to Italy and Uruguay.

Italy, meanwhile, can still advance with a win or even a draw with Uruguay, since it leads on goal difference which is the first qualifying criteria.

France 5, Switzerland 2: Four years ago to the day since France's players shamed the nation by going on strike at the last World Cup the team put on a striking attacking display to take total control of Group E and put themselves in position to avoid a showdown with Lionel Messi's Argentina in the next round.

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"We were all magnificent tonight," said goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, one of only four holdovers from the shambles of France's last World Cup. "We can't let ourselves get flooded by emotion and must stay calm. But we're going to savor this."

France tops the group with six points, with Ecuador level on three points with Switzerland.

Switzerland's demise came rapidly, after center half Steve Von Bergen came off with blood pouring down from under his left eye after he was kicked in the face in the sixth minute. He was replaced by Philippe Senderos and things went from bad to awful from then on for a makeshift defense against the ferocious pace of France's breaks from midfield and the slick movement of its interchanging forwards.

Ecuador 2, Honduras 1: Enner Valencia scored twice in a comeback victory that kept his team in contention. Ecuador moved into second spot in Group E with a game remaining against group-leading France.

Honduras took the lead in the 31st minute with its first World Cup goal since 1982.

Portugal: The most scrutinized knee in the World Cup was on display again Friday as Cristiano Ronaldo practiced with his Portugal teammates. And that was all anyone could talk about at the team's base in Campinas, with scores of cameras zooming in on the reigning world player of the year's every move, twitch and gesture.

Team officials sighed when asked about the status for Sunday's game against the United States of Ronaldo, who has been struggling with a leg injury since before the tournament. Teammate Helder Postiga said he was sick of it.

"After the training today there were 10 players applying ice on themselves. We used three bags of ice!" he said. "Cristiano is training; he's fine. He is going to be important for us. He is going to help the team. We all have a common goal. Ice is just an exercise, something normal after training. You need to take it more naturally."

Concussion: The world players' union accused World Cup organizer FIFA of failing to protect Uruguay midfielder Alvaro Pereira after he played on following a hard blow to the head in Thursday's win over England he said felt "like the lights went out."

The union said that FIFA's protocol for assessing concussions "failed to protect" Pereira. Although Pereira acknowledged he was briefly knocked unconscious and then felt dizzy, FIFA spokeswoman Delia Fischer said: "The neurological examination by the team's physician clearly showed that it's normal and that allowed him to return."